MAT Eligibility Criteria 2025: Age Limit, Qualifying Criteria, Number of Attempts
Management Aptitude Test 2025 ( MAT )
Exam On - 13 Dec '25
MAT eligibility criteria includes academic qualification, minimum marks, work experience, age limit as mentioned by AIMA. The basic qualification to appear for the MAT exam is graduation. Know here the details of MAT eligibility criteria 2025.
MAT exam eligibility criteria is a set of academic requirements that MBA aspirants need to fulfil to be eligible to take the entrance test. The basic eligibility criteria for MAT is graduation. The good part is that there is no minimum score requirement. Candidates with passing marks in Graduation can appear in MAT. However, the colleges accepting MAT score may have the minimum score requirement, thus it is best to score atleast 50 percent in graduation to pursue full-time MBA from a reputed institute.
The MAT exam is conducted four times a year – February, May, September and December. MAT score is accepted by over 800 B-schools across the country for admission to MBA/PGDM courses. Those who plan to take the MAT 2025 exam, must check the eligibility criteria before applying. Candidates can take MAT exam in one of the three modes of their choice - Internet-Based Test (IBT), Computer-Based Test (CBT) or Paper-Based Test (PBT) and the eligibility criteria for all three modes are same. There is no limit on the number of attempts for taking the exam. The scores of latest MAT attempt will be taken into consideration for MBA admission.
Also Read: MAT 2025 application form and registration process
MAT Eligibility Criteria 2025
All India Management Association (AIMA) the MAT conducting agency, prescribes the eligibility criteria. Check details below:
MAT Exam Eligibility: Academic Qualification
- Candidates must have completed bachelor's degree in any discipline from a recognised Institute or University.
- Candidates appearing in the final year examination or awaiting result for Bachelor's degree are also eligible to appear for MAT 2025.
MAT Eligibility Criteria: Age Limit
There is no age limit to appear for MAT exam. However, since the academic qualification is graduation, the age of candidates is usually 20 and above.
MAT Criteria: Work Experience
Work experience is not a mandatory eligibility criteria for MAT. However, it carries extra weightage in selection process of MBA colleges accepting MAT score.
Also Read:
MAT Eligibility Criteria for Participating Institutes
As per the general MAT eligibility criteria fixed by the participating institutes, candidates should have a bachelor's degree and a valid MAT score. Some of the B-schools specify eligible marks for the qualifying degree examination of 50 per cent aggregate for General category and 45 per cent aggregate for Reserved category.
Also Read: MBA colleges accepting MAT scores
MAT Exam Eligibility: Reservation Criteria
MAT or AIMA does not prescribe Reservation criteria for the entrance exam. The Reservation Policy is followed for admission through MAT as specified by the participating colleges as per the Reservation Policy of the Government of India.
MAT Reservation Criteria for SC/ST/OBC/EWS candidates
Candidates belonging to the Reserved categories are eligible for admission in to MBA programme as per the quota percentage given below. Such candidates will have to submit at the time of admission, respective caste/tribe certificate issued by the Government of India to get a seat through Reservation Policy.
| Category |
Seat Quota Percentage |
|---|---|
| Scheduled Caste (SC) |
15% |
| Scheduled Tribe (ST) |
7.5% |
| Other Backward Classes, Non-Creamy layer (NC-OBC) |
27% |
| Economically Weaker Sections (EWS) |
10% |
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MAT Reservation Criteria for PwD candidates
As per the RPwD Act 2016, 5 per cent seats are reserved for PwD candidates in educational institutions.
The categories of disability are:
- Blindness and low vision
- Deaf and hard of hearing
- Locomotor disability including cerebral palsy, leprosy, cured dwarfism, acid attack victims and muscular dystrophy.
- Autism, intellectual disability, specific learning disability and mental illness
- Multiple disabilities from amongst persons under one to four
- Other ‘specified disabilities’ mentioned in ‘The Schedule’ of the RPwD Act 2016
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Since MAT is an entrance exam for post graduate level management courses, the minimum eligibility criteria for MAT exam is graduation. Candidate should have completed graduation in full-time or part-time mode in Arts, Commerce or Science from a recognised university. The eligibility criteria for MAT PBT, CBT and IBT are the same. Final year graduation students who will be giving their final exam or awaiting results are also eligible to appear in MAT. There is no minimum score requirement in MAT. Candidates need to have passing marks in graduation.
Yes, you can apply for more than 5 colleges with MAT score. The limit of 5 MBA colleges is only for the MAT application form. If any candidate wishes to apply for more colleges, they can do so by filling the application forms of those colleges separately. The MAT cut offs, will be different for different colleges, so candidates must check it before applying.
No, IIMs do not accept MAT score for MBA Admission. They only accept CAT score for admission to their MBA/PGP programmes. However, MAT score is accepted by over 700 MBA colleges in India including: Amity University GL Bajaj Institute of Management & Research Christ University GITAM Institute of Management JIMS Rohini Jain University Taxila Business School, Jaipur SRM University Birla Institute of Management Technology Shri Mata Vaishno Devi University Tezpur University Entrepreneurship Development Institute of India IIFM Bhopal YMCA.
MAT score is valid for admission for the same academic year in which the candidate has taken the exam. For example, MAT 2025 score will be valid for admission for 2025-2026 MBA batch only. If a candidate wishes to drop a year after taking the MAT exam, then they will have to appear for the exam once again next year. They should however check the eligibility or selection criteria to have a clarity of MAT score of which session/phase is valid for admission in which academic year. For example, for 2025 academic session MAT September and MAT December scores will be valid for admission to some MBA colleges who have the admission cycle of January-February. Whereas, colleges who conduct admission in March-May accept MAT February exam scores for admission. To simplify, MAT test takers must not try to use their score for admission more than one year after appearing for it. They should appear for it again and use the latest score for admission.
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Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered Yesterday
Hi.
For PGDM and MBA admissions at GIBS Business School, Bangalore, the following entrance exams are accepted:
Accepted Entrance Exams
| Exam | Type / Level |
|---|---|
| CAT – Common Admission Test | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| XAT – Xavier Aptitude Test | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| MAT – Management Aptitude Test | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| CMAT – Common Management Admission Test | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| GMAT – Graduate Management Admission Test | International / National-level MBA entrance exam |
| ATMA – AIMS Test for Management Admissions | National-level MBA entrance exam |
| State CET (e.g., Karnataka PGCET) | State-level MBA entrance exam for Karnataka candidates |
h
Scholar-Level 17
Answered Yesterday
Hi.
GIBS considers any one valid score from these exams for shortlisting candidates.
Some exams (like CAT, XAT, CMAT) are preferred for national-level merit-based selection, but State CET scores are also accepted for Karnataka domicile candidates.
Along with the entrance score, academics, work experien
h
Scholar-Level 17
Answered Yesterday
Hi.
Yes — you can pursue an MBA at Chandigarh University (CU) without appearing for CAT or MAT. CU has its own entrance process for MBA admissions, and they accept multiple types of eligibility credentials.
CU MBA Admission Eligibility
To be eligible for MBA at CU:
Bachelor's degree in any discipline fr
h
Scholar-Level 17
Answered 2 days ago
The institute has released the KIM Pune MAT Cutoff 2024 for admissions to the MBA/PGDM courses. The MAT Cutoff 2024 was 60 percentile overall for students belonging to the General category under the All India quota. Students can click here to know more about the MAT Cutoff 2024.
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 3 days ago
The CMS Bangalore MBA cutoff 2024 was released for various different exams, like CAT, XAT, NMAT, etc.
The CAT Cutoff 2024 was 50, whereas, in 2024, it was 70 as was the case in 2023. This trend over the past 3 years says that the CAT Cutoff has been decreasing overtime. Students can click here to kno
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
The ISME Bangalore MAT cutoff 2024 was released for admission to the MBA/PGDM course. The MAT Cutoff 2024 was 70 percentile overall for the students belonging to the General All India category. To know more about the ISME Bangalore Cutoff, click here.
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered 4 days ago
The Lexicon MILE MAT Cutoff 2024 was released for admission to the MBA/PGDM programme at Lexicon Management Institute of Leadership and Excellence. The institute accepts the MAT Cutoff percentiles for enrolment to the MBA/PGDM course.
The MAT Cutoff 2024 was 70 percentile overall for the students be
N
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
MAT cutoff percentile for MBA admission at BIMM was 80 in 2024, for the students belonging to the General AI quota. The institute also accepts the CAT entrane exam for admission, for which the 2024 cutoff percentile was 50.
R
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
MAT scores are one of the factors taken into consideration when determining whether or not a student is eligible for financial aid/scholarships through GIBS. The school awards merit-based scholarships to students who achieve high scores on any of the following nationalized entrance exams: MAT, CAT,
A
Contributor-Level 10
Answered a week ago
GIBS does not have an additional reservation policy for students applying through CAT or MAT. Admission is based entirely upon merit, and students can apply using their scores from the national level entrance exams: CAT, MAT, XAT, CMAT, ATMA, GMAT and GIBS 's own entrance exam. Each student will be
A
Contributor-Level 10
For MAT CBT, candidates will be allotted a test centre in the city they shall have selected as preference in the, MAT application form. Candidates can appear for MAT from home in only IBT mode. MAT CBT is held in the followimg cities: Agra, Ahmedabad, Asansol, Bareilly, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Dehradun, Delhi, Ernakulam - Kochi, Ghaziabad, Gurgaon, Guwahati, Hubballi (Hubli), Hyderabad, Indore, Jaipur, Jammu, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Lucknow, Madurai, Meerut, Mumbai, Mysuru (Mysore), Nashik, Noida, Patna, Pune, Raipur, Ranchi, Rourkela, Shillong, Shimla, Silchar, Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Vellore and Vijayawada